Kelly Clarkson Takes Her Kids to Disney World: ‘A Magical Vacation’
Kelly Clarkson is feeling the magic!
The singer, 39, shared a photo of herself with children River Rose, 6, and Remington Alexander, 4, from a recent trip to Disney World on Instagram Wednesday.
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In the snap, Clarkson knelt down next to River and Remington, who were smiling in front of a legion of Storm Troopers from the new Rise of the Resistance ride in Star Wars land.
“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for,” Clarkson began her caption, parroting the famous line from the franchise.
“We had so much fun at Disney World!” she continued. “All the rides were amazing but oh my gosh, y’all, Pandora and the Star Wars rides are where it’s at! Thank you for a magical vacation, Disney ❤️”
The Florida getaway comes amid Clarkson’s ongoing divorce proceedings from estranged husband Brandon Blackstock, with whom she shares River and Remington.
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Earlier this month, the Kelly Clarkson Show host requested that a judge declare her legally divorced from Blackstock, saying in documents obtained by PEOPLE that she and Blackstock “both deserve the opportunity to build a new life.”
Clarkson was granted primary physical custody of their kids in November.
Kelly Clarkson family Credit: Kelly Clarkson/Instagram
In February, the star admitted that coparenting with her ex has been “tough” for her.
“You speak about co-parenting, and I’m doing that right now too,” she said on her talk show in a conversation with Khloé Kardashian. “It’s tough. … I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places, and it’s like, we both agree on the main things, but it’s hard thing when you’re not together all the time, for me personally.”
Halle Bailey Celebrates ‘The Little Mermaid’ Filming Wrap
Halle Bailey Wraps Filming Disney’s The Little Mermaid: ‘We Have Finally Made It’
That’s a wrap on The Little Mermaid!
Halle Bailey announced the completion of filming on the upcoming live-action movie of the Disney classic in an Instagram post on Monday.
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The 21-year-old singer and actress shared a photo of herself sitting inside the ocean water against a sunset.
“And just like that..that’s a wrap ❤️after auditioning for this film when i was 18 just about to turn 19 , to now finishing filming through a pandemic when i turned 21 ..we have finally made it…💖,” she wrote in the caption.
“I feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..it has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone i’ve ever known, to feeling self doubt/ loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as i’ve reached the end,” Bailey wrote. “This experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be.”
She added, “I’m so grateful to have such lovely and talented people in the cast like @jonahhauerking that will be my friend for infinite lifetimes, @jacobtremblay who i’m so proud of 🥺and legends like @bardemantarctic @melissamccarthy @awkwafina @daveeddiggs who are masters of their craft but are so welcoming and open to little old me..as well as to the rest of the beautiful cast and crew. i cannot wait for time to speed up so you all can watch this film because it was made with so much love (plus blood sweat and tears) lol thank you sardinia for a wonderful ending!!! Xoxo.”
Halle Bailey Halle Bailey | Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
Disney announced that Bailey — one-half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle — would be taking on the role of Ariel back in July 2019.
“After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role,” the film’s director, Rob Marshall (Chicago), said in a statement at the time.
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The film also stars other big names in Hollywood such as Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, the film’s main antagonist, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
See Disney’s new Jungle Cruise ride scenes without ‘negative depictions’ of native peoples
Jungle Cruise type Movie genre Adventure
If you think Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise revamp isn’t a slam dunk, you’re in denial.
Earlier this year, Disney Parks announced plans to alter various scenes in the classic attraction to remove select cultural depictions in an effort to better “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us.” Now, the refurbished boat ride will welcome riders once again when it reopens this Friday (one day shy of the 1955 attraction’s 65th birthday), with a new story line involving a band of explorers — including a birdwatcher, an entomologist, a wildlife painter, and a photographer — venturing into the ominous foliage as a pesky group of primates punctuates their journey with adorable hijinks.
Before the grand unveiling — and the July 30 release of the Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt movie based on the ride — take a look at EW’s breakdown of all the changes you can expect to see while floating past the backside of water once again.
Glowing cobra orb
Things get off to a striking start as the new Jungle Cruise tour begins; The spot previously occupied by tribal ruins now contains a large cobra holding a glowing orb — complete with a new skipper joke: “A lot of people say it’s pretty heavy; I say it’s pretty light.”
Jungle Cruise reopens Disneyland adds a glowing cobra to the new Jungle Cruise ride. | Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
Barrel of monkeys
Next on the journey, riders will notice a bright new paint job on a few floating barrels just outside a classic scene that shows a band of primates rummaging through an abandoned campsite. This time, however, a revolver in one of the gorilla’s hands fires a few rounds, with sound effects and splashes of water simulating a bullet cutting through the surface.
Pole position
In one of many attempts to remove insensitive depictions from the classic ride, Disney Imagineers revamped a controversial scene that previously saw a group of men — all people of color — being driven up a tree. The set now includes animatronic figures representing a diverse collective of explorers, including two women and others of different cultural backgrounds.
Jungle Cruise reopens The ‘Jungle Cruise’ rhinoceros scene has been revised to add a diverse group of explorers. | Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
Hungry, hungry hippos
A placid scene where riders pass through a watery alcove populated by a family of hippos received a slightly more menacing makeover with the addition of wreckage from another Jungle Cruise boat. One of the mammals even lunges at the sinking vessel, suggesting a similar fate is in store for park guests.
Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise ride reopens Hungry hippos sink a boat in Disneyland’s new ‘Jungle Cruise’ refurbishment. | Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Trimming the tribal ceremony
Another notable omission in the refurbished Jungle Cruise ride is a scene that shows a tribal ceremony involving a cultural dance. Instead of passing through a village populated by indigenous people, riders now float by a sinking boat overrun by curious chimps. Die-hard Disney fans will recognize the name of the ship, the Mekong Maiden, as the name of one of Jungle Cruise’s original boats that was decommissioned in 1997.
Jungle Cruise reopens New ‘Jungle Cruise’ opening date set for July 16 at Disneyland. | Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
Attack of the butterflies
Immediately after the tribal dance scene, another segment saw travelers being attacked by tribal defenders. The action sequence now features another family of chimps ransacking items from the explorers' boats while swatting away a swarm of colorful butterflies.
Jungle Cruise reopens Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
Trader Sam’s club transformation
The Jungle Cruise finale was as popular as it was problematic; riders exited the canal as a salesman, nicknamed Trader Sam, tempted them with memorabilia commemorating their visit to the exotic locale. Now, in his absence, primates have, once again, overrun a jungle gift shop in a fitting conclusion to the refurbished attraction’s new story line.
Jungle Cruise reopens Credit: Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort
Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise ride officially reopens to the public on Friday, while the big-screen adaptation of the beloved attraction hits theaters and the Disney+ streaming service on July 30.
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